Appeal No. 2005-2276
Application No. 09/734,467
1. A method of producing a structured layer, which comprises the following
steps:
providing a prestructured substrate;
applying to the prestructured substrate a precious metal and a donor material
containing an additive which is not a precious metal in two or more layers;
subjecting the layers to heat treatment at a temperature of between
approximately 400°C and approximately 800°C, such that the additive
diffuses into the precious metal and an alloy layer is produced; and
polishing the alloy layer by chemical and mechanical means.
The references set forth below are relied upon by the examiner in the Section 103 rejections
before us:
Azuma et al. (Azuma) 5,708,302 Jan. 13, 1998
Kawakubo et al. (Kawakubo) 5,952,687 Sep. 14, 1999
Kirlin et al. (Kirlin) 5,976,928 Nov. 02, 1999
Russell et al. (Russell) 6,395,194 May 28, 2002
(filed Dec. 18, 1998)
Claims 1-3, 7, 11-13, 15 and 17 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being
unpatentable over Kawakubo in view of Azuma.
Claims 19-21 and 23 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
Kawakubo in view of Azuma and Russell.
Claims 19, 20, and 22 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103(a) as being unpatentable over
Kawakubo in view of Azuma and Kirlin.
We refer to the brief and the reply brief and to the answer for a complete discussion of
the opposing viewpoints expressed by the Appellants and by the Examiner concerning the above
noted rejections.
2
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Next
Last modified: November 3, 2007